Pentagon says Iran fired on U.S. drone

WASHINGTON Iranian warplanes fired at an unmanned U.S. military surveillance drone over the Persian Gulf last week, Pentagon officials disclosed Thursday, saying that while the aircraft was not hit, Washington made a strong protest to Tehran.

The shooting, which the Pentagon said occurred Nov. 1, was the first known instance of Iranian warplanes firing on a U.S. surveillance drone.

Pentagon spokesman George Little attributed the weeklong silence on the incident to restrictions on discussing classified surveillance missions. But it doubtless will raise questions about whether that silence had been decided on with the U.S. election in mind. Had the shooting been disclosed earlier, it might have been seen as a provocative or even partisan political act.

A senior official said the episode should not be seen as a step to a broader military confrontation or as something that would derail potential diplomatic contacts. “We view it as another data point in what is clearly more aggressive tactics on the part of the Iranians,” the official said, adding that “they were wildly unsuccessful.” Iran had no immediate comment.

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